Mysterious ‘Lashkar D’ is Muzzammil Bhat a Kashmiri

Who is Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) member ‘D’ named by the FBI in its chargesheet on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks?

Who is Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) member ‘D’ named by the FBI in its chargesheet on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks?

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Indian security establishment believes the member ‘D’ is Muzzammil Bhat, a key LeT military commander, who was involved in Chittisinghpora massacre in Jammu and Kashmir on the eve of President Bill Clinton's visit to India in March 2000.

According to Indian security sources, Muzzammil Bhat is absconding and in the absence of Lakhvi handling operations for LeT, which hints at the kind of patronage LeT or its parent organisation Jamat-ud-Dawa, receives from the Pakistan's ISI.

In its second chargesheet, filed in Chicago court, FBI named an ISI official Major Iqbal and four LeT operatives-Sajid Majeed, Abu Qahafa, Abu Alqama and the unknown Lashkar member ‘D’.

About ‘D’ the chargesheeet states that after the arrest of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in Pakistan in connection with 26/11 attacks, he became the overall operational commander of LeT.

According to FBI, ‘D’, who is yet to be arrested by Pakistan, was a handler David Coleman Headley.

Headley told Indian investigators that Muzzammil was involved in the Chittisinghpora massacre.

Headley also said Muzzammil was most trustworthy lieutenant of Lakhvi and apart from Chittisinghpora killings of Sikhs, he planned the Akshardham temple attack in September 2002.

According to security sources, Muzzammil is a Kashmiri born in 1976. He is married and his family lives in the Gujranwala town of Pakistani Punjab.

Headley told Indian investigators that Muzzammil was his handler from 2004 to 2007.